How to Apply to the History Graduate Program

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MA Program Instructions
PhD Program Instructions

MA Program

Admissions

To be considered for admission, you must meet Graduate School requirements, have an undergraduate History major or 18 credits in History or equivalent preparation. If your overall undergraduate GPA is below 2.75 you can only be admitted on probation. Please consult the Graduate School Admission web page for more information.

Deadlines: Fall admission, January 1st; for Spring admission, September 1st. For applicants seeking funding, submit a Teaching Assistant application at the same time. NOTE: TAships are typically not available to students applying for the Spring semester.

You may apply to the Graduate School by completing the electronic application form available through the Graduate School website, or you may request a paper application by calling the Graduate School at (414) 229-6569. The Graduate School website can also provide you with information on registering to take the Graduate Record Exam.

Apply separately to the Graduate School and the Department of History.

Send the following information to the Graduate School:

  • complete the Graduate School Application and pay the application fee(s): a $56 base application fee is required of all applicants, and an additional $40 evaluation fee is required for applicants with college-level work from non-U.S. colleges;
  • official transcripts from each previous institution you have attended; and
  • a statement of purpose outlining your reasons for graduate study in history.

Send the following directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History, Holton Hall, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201:

  • two confidential letters of recommendation, with attached waiver form, from persons familiar with your scholastic achievement and potential. Ideally, these letters should be written by history professors. Recommendation form waiver
  • a sample of your written work that demonstrates your ability to conduct historical research and/or ability to analyze critically the work of others. This sample must be at least 10 pages in length, with references. Ideally, the writing  sample should be an extended research paper using primary sources assigned in an advanced undergraduate history course; and
  • scores on the Graduate Record Exam (general test only).

PhD Program

Admissions

To be considered for admission, you must meet Graduate School admission requirements, and hold a master's degree in history or a related field. Apply separately to the Graduate School and the Department of History.

Deadlines: Fall admission, January 1st; for Spring admission, September 1st.
For applicants seeking funding, submit the Teaching Assistant applications at the same time. TAships are typically not available to students applying for the Spring semester.

You may apply to the Graduate School by completing the electronic application form available through the Graduate School website, or you may request a paper application by calling the Graduate School at (414) 229-6569. The Graduate School website can also provide you with information on registering to take the Graduate Record Exam.

Please submit the following to: Admissions, UW-Milwaukee Graduate School, P.O. Box 340 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0340.

  • Completed Graduate School Application and $45 Application Fee. The application may be submitted electronically at: https://apply.wisconsin.edu/
  • Official transcripts from each academic institution you have attended.
  • A statement of purpose outlining your reasons for graduate study in History. In this statement you should identify one of the three areas of concentration you would like to study-Global, Urban, or Modern. Please also discuss at some length the historiographical issues about this area that especially interest you. What questions do you especially find provocative? What books and articles have influenced your research interests? Finally, tell us why you would like to earn a Ph.D. in History, and provide any other information that you would like us to know about your commitment to scholarly work at the Ph.D. level.

Send the following directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, UW-Milwaukee History Department, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee WI 53201-0340.

  • Three letters of recommendation from professors familiar with the applicant's scholastic achievement and potential.
  • A sample of the applicant's written work that demonstrates his or her ability to conduct original historical research and/or the ability to critically analyze the work of others. Ideally, the writing sample would be a chapter of the student's MA thesis or an article-length research paper based on primary sources.
  • Scores on the Graduate Record Examination general test (but not the test in History).